A Bright Bond
by Jetstream Girge
Summary: A bond shared can sometimes drive away the darkness in your own heart. Something Lua knows all to well, and will have to remember if she is to fulfill her promise. An Elrios entry.


**Hey everyone! So, while I'm working on Boundaries, I decided to start work on my next big project called 'Elrios.' 'Elrios' is my revised 'Elsword: Extended' project, and will feature several stories that fit into a grand narrative. The one shot we have here is one of these stories.** **For more information on this project, visit my profile.**

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Lua stared at her reflection in Lake Noah. Everything from her sandy, mid-length hair to her dark green eyes looked just the same as they did a decade ago. But there were other features she could see that had been there before.

Small creases in her brow spoke of her envy and contempt. And the small light that shone in her eyes as a youth had dimmed, a reflection of the dark thoughts within her.

The frustration, the envy, the ha-

 _No! I cannot feel like this! I mustn't feel like this!_

She shook her head rapidly to throw these dark thoughts from it. But when she looked back at her reflection, the features she despised seemed to only become more pronounced.

"..."

Lua struck the water with her hand in disgust, as if the blow to her reflection could strike her own face. Throwing herself onto the grass, she stared into the sky, thinking that the blue expanse above could swallow these terrible thoughts. Instead, her mind zeroed in on the same dark feelings.

 _I work so hard. I train everyday. I hit every bullseye, strike the hardest, run the fastest, sneak the quietest! So why!?_

She covered her eyes with her arm and gritted her teeth. _Why is it always… ALWAYS her!? The spirits, the people, our friends, Branwen…_

Her free hand grasped a tuft of grass and crushed it so hard she squeezed the dew out of the blades. These feelings were nothing new, but by the El she hated them more now than before.

Lua knew when this all started: the day the spirits chose her friend. Back then, they were children looking for the next small adventure. They had no time for things like envy, instead spending it to seek out the next mischievous plot to carry out. Rena's bond with the spirits came in handy then as it allowed the duo to set elaborate pranks and evade capture from their victims.

True she was jealous of Rena's gift, but she never thought much about it. They were her friends just as much as they were Rena's, and she could never bring herself to hate her friends.

Her fist clenched harder at that last thought, painfully driving her nails into her palm. If she couldn't bring herself to hate her friends, than what was this ghastly feeling that lit a angry flame in her chest whenever she saw her friend? Why did she feel like this!?

At last she relaxed, her palm dotted with indentations from her fingernails. _No. I don't hate Rena. I hate that she was chosen, yes. But I don't hate her. I hate… myself._

She finally took her arm away from her eyes to stare into the sky. _I shouldn't feel hate, envy, rage… yet I can't stop myself from feeling that jealousy. That frustration. And then, I hate myself for feeling like this…_

Elves were supposed to be a race of tranquility and harmony. Their bond with the El itself granted them with lives near eternal, and thus they are to show their gratitude to the El through the promotion of positivity.

That's what Branwen said anyway. It's not like they will just let invaders walk all over them should they come knocking, but if conflict can avoided they will take that chance. But their ancestors made a vow long ago, even before she lived, to never lose themselves to selfishness and negativity. To do so would be to betray their very nature, according to the elders. Those that could commune with the spirits were paragons of this ideal.

And this was Lua's conundrum. How _couldn't_ she be envious of Rena's bond with the spirits. Rena was a walking miracle in the eyes of her people. Lua always wanted to be with her friend so that they could fulfill that childhood promise of adventure, but felt inferior in her presence. Rena was just so radiant, so far away from her.

So Lua trained hard. Worked to be the best marksman, the best fighter, the best runner.

To be the best ranger.

Only the best ranger could stand at Rena's side on a globe-trotting adventure. But, when she sees the praise heaped upon Rena for her - what were quite frankly mediocre - feats and Lua's accomplishments were glossed over or even forgotten, how could she not feel bitter?

She wasn't starved for attention nor did she desire fame. But, at the very least, she wanted her efforts recognized, acknowledged. Rena would always praise her, but she was the only one who would even grant Lua that. That made these envious feelings even more painful. Her ire was being directed at the very person encouraging her to chase her dream.

And that was wrong.

It was all so wrong.

Why was she like this? Why was she a twisted, contradicting bi-

"Lua?"

Her name snapped Lua out of her rampaging thoughts, and she tilted her head back to see the object of her envy.

It was Rena.

"Hey, Rena. What's up?" she said with a rehearsed note of surprise, masking the unease within her.

Rena smiled. "Well, I got to thinking recently and…" She carefully undid the knot on a small pouch she was carrying and reached inside. "I wanted for us to have something to - you know - leave our mark on the world when we head out there."

She still spoke of their promise as though the day was right around the corner. But that day always somehow became years and decades. She always talked about the places she wanted to go, people to meet, food to eat, but that was all. Just words.

So Lua was surprised when her friend extended her closed fist above her face. "Here."

"Uh… okay? Sure…" She began to reach out with her marked hand, but quickly set it back down on the grass and used her other hand instead. She felt Rena's nails brush against her palm and a small patter of tiny objects hitting her hand. "What is it?"

She closed her hand and expertly worked one of the objects in between her fingers. It felt woody, even a little damp. Stealing a glance at Rena's expression, Lua saw her giddily waiting for her friend to look at the gift.

And then she turned her hand towards her face and held it against the light of Solace. It was…

"Seeds! More specifically, alstroemeria seeds!" Rena exclaimed.

"Alstroemeria? Rena, this is…" Lua trailed off as a smile traced its it's way across her face. The dark feelings receded before the radiance of this gift. The alstroemeria held a special place in their hearts; it was the flower that started Rena down the path she now tread, and it also symbolized everlasting friendship. It was a sign of a bond that they shared; one so strong that she knew, no matter how depraved she was or far she had fallen, it would endure.

The little light in her eyes she thought dimmed glowed and a comforting warmth washed over her. No matter what happens, she would not turn her back on her friend. Even if she was taken far away she knew this bond would lead them back to one another.

Perhaps the day of their adventure wasn't just a silly childhood dream after all. Perhaps it was just around the corner...

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 **So, confession time: I am _obsessed_ over Lua and Rena. No, not a LuaxRena OTP pairing, but rather their bond as friends. Kind of like how Zack Fair and Cloud Strife are. If you read Alstroemeria, you will notice that Lua's feelings towards Rena and her gift have changed. This moment is important in Rena's own subplot within 'Elrios.' As always, please Read and Review, especially review because it helps me grow as a story teller.**

 **Until next time!**

 **P.S. Next time will be very soon!**


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